


Hot Summer Nights

by Snakehead



Category: Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (2013)
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Hanahaki Disease, M/M, Nick has like maybe one braincell when it comes to his feelings and he's proud of it, Okay the second chapter is a fix it fic to my own fic, Smut, everyone dies, it ends better
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-05-15 09:29:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19292959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snakehead/pseuds/Snakehead
Summary: He could already feel the pain forming. He'd heard of the infection before, everyone had; they called it the flower spitting disease. He'd heard people say it was from one of those far off Eastern countries, even that it could kill you.Of course Nick, the person who'd never travelled out of the country in his life after the war, would get it.Everyone hadheardabout the disease but no one seemed to know how to cure it, or even what caused it; so the most he could do was lie about his sudden interest in flowers, and try to claim that the delicate little jonquils and daffodils now flooding his home were a tasteful preference. He remembered once hearing Jordan say that it was caused by one-sided love, but that was just foolish.A disease couldn't be caused by love.





	1. The Original

Nick heard the loud din of the party dim as Gatsby shut the doors of his study behind them, light brown curls starting to escape their combed back prison.  
“Sorry to take you away from the party old sport, I just wanted to talk alone for a little while.”  
“No, no, it's fine; don't worry about it.”  
Of course it was fine. Nick definitely didn't have any qualms about being alone with the other, but he could already feel the pain forming. The man had heard of the infection before, everyone had; they called it the flower spitting disease. He'd heard people say it was from one of those far off Eastern countries, even that it could kill you.  
Of course he, the person who'd never travelled out of the country in his life after the war, would get it.  
Everyone had _heard_ about the disease but no one seemed to know how to cure it, or even what caused it; so the most the man could do was lie about his sudden interest in flowers, and try to claim that the delicate little jonquils and daffodils now flooding his home were a tasteful preference. He remembered once hearing Jordan say that it was caused by one-sided love, but that was just foolish.

A disease couldn't be caused by love.  
“How about a dance, old sport?”  
The outstretched hand in front of him was paired with an unwavering, genuine smile, and before he knew it, the coughing began again. Gatsby, of course, was swiftly at Nick's side.  
“Are you quite alright, Nick? Is there anything I can do?”  
_Nick._ Gatsby had never called him by his name before. _Oh no._  
In the midst of it the male managed to nod slightly, cupping a hand over his mouth to hide the petals he could feel pressing against his fingers.  
“Yes, just- some water! I'm sure I just need some water.”  
“Alright then, I'll be back in just a minute; hold tight old sport.”  
With that the other was gone, and Nick was free to let the flowers spill from he mouth. This was new; instead of the yellow and white flowers that were normally there, this time he'd produced three slender buds, almost like purple bells. He had seen these in the book he'd managed to procure under the guise of wanting things to look “just so”; they were called toadflaxes. Nick couldn't remember what they symbolized offhand, but he knew it was a plea of some sort. Why? Why these flowers in particular? The man didn't have a way of explaining where they came from, so he opened one of the windows and tossed them outside.

He pulled back just as Gatsby returned; at some point while he was out, the man had managed to get a red carnation tucked into his hair.  
“It was a little stuffy in here, so I decided to open a window.”  
“Brilliant. Oh, here's the water old sport.”  
Nick nodded lightly as he sipped at the glass, inspecting the carnation in more detail. It had to have been his imagination, but it almost looked wet–  
“Do you like it, old sport? I grew it myself, actually; just bloomed while I was out.”  
“You did? I never took you for someone who gardened.”  
“That makes sense, I only recently picked it up after all.”  
“Well regardless, carnations suit you. They're… well, they bring out a very handsome look.”  
Oh, why had he said that? Gatsby's eyes widened and he cleared his throat before smiling again.  
“I'm sure it'd look better on you, old sport. Now then, about that dance?”  
An outstretched hand again. Nick smiled as he took it, and with that they rose to their feet.

“I'll take the lead this time old sport.”  
“Of course, Jay.”  
And with that they were off; opting for a slow dance at their own tempo, to their own music. He watched Gatsby as they spoke, every smile setting his heart pounding.  
Of course, that just left the man with a blooming pain in his chest, pulling away from Gatsby as he hacked and coughed.  
“Are you sure you're alright old sport? Do you need a doctor?”  
“Of course...I'm fine. Don't worry about me, Gatsby.”  
Nothing was fine about it. But watching the man fret over him spurred a realization.  
_It was possible that Gatsby had given him this disease._  
But before he could ask about that, Nick had to deal with the flowers about to spill from his mouth. Or rather, the flowers that _had_ spilled from his mouth, which Gatsby was now silently eyeing.  
“I didn't take you to be a fan of daffodils, old sport.”  
_The nerve!_ For all he knew, he had gotten this from Gatsby somehow, and then he has the _gall_ to be smug about it? Nick scowled.  
“I wouldn't sound so stuck up if I were you, Jay; I most likely got it from you after all.”  
Gatsby seemed startled by this; it almost looked like he was blushing before he started to cough as well.  
It seemed coincidental enough, but to then see the other hack up a red carnation was practically the nail in the coffin to him; despite Gatsby's clear confusion. 

“So I _did_ get it from you. Come on, out with it; how do I fix this?”  
“It's not quite something you can just ‘fix’, old sport-”  
“‘Not quite something you can just fix’! Can you hear yourself?”  
“Now then, quiet dow-”  
“There's blood on this stem, Jay! I could be bleeding internally!”  
“Nick-”  
“I've heard people say you can die from this! What the hell am I supposed to do?”  
“Shut your damned mouth and just _listen_ for a moment!”  
Gatsby grabbed the man by the shoulders and gripped him tightly, too tightly to move as impatient frustration cloaked the male's expression. Nick settled down. 

“I don't know very much about this either Nick. And what I do know isn't helpful, not if there's already blood.”  
“So what am I supposed to do? Accept my fate? You're the reason I'm in this situation in the first place, Jay!”  
“You don't have any idea what you're talking about, Nick! This isn't something you can infect someone with!”  
“Then why is it only seen in the East, Jay? Why haven't I heard of anyone else coughing up flowers here?”  
“Because people don't _love_ in this country, Nick! Not truly!”  
He scoffed in disbelief as Gatsby continued to hold him in place and glare; his arms were beginning to hurt from the force the man was using.  
“How does love have anything to do with it? Love can't cause a disease!”  
“It can, and it has! Just look at what you've been hacking up Nick!”  
Jay gestured angrily over at the daffodils on the floor; _return my affection._ Nick took a deep breath before he spoke again. 

“Jay… what does love have to do with this? Don't lie to me, because you clearly know.”  
“This is caused by unrequited love. All you can do is find who it is you love, and tell them; and hope that they feel the same.”  
“That can't be it. Gatsby in all my years, I've never felt romantic attraction towards anyone; there has to be another cause.”  
“There's none that I know of, old sport.”  
After he spoke Gatsby loosened his grip on the other and Nick quietly stepped back, clearing his throat as he watched the man recompose himself.  
“It's late, Jay. I'm going home.”  
“I'll walk you back old sport.”  
“Nonsense, a party needs its host.”  
“They'll survive without me for a few minutes.”  
There was that smile again. They had just finished arguing and yet that smile still sent something through the man; something that made him cough more.  
“Alright, if you insist Jay.”

They spoke idly as they made the short trek to Nick's home, both doing what they could to avoid talking about the disease, or who the flowers were for; but once they were in front of his house, Gatsby did the oddest thing.  
He took Nick's hands in his own, and held him there silently. Nick of course, was more confused than anything; especially when he started leaning in closer.  
“Nick old sport, just let me know if I can help at all, okay?”  
“Right. Yes, I'll be sure to let you know.”  
“Alright. Sleep well, old sport; I hope whoever it is, she feels the same.”  
“Goodnight, Jay.”

 

Nick attended two more of Gatsby's parties, and at both of them they danced together in Jay's study. The topic of Daisy came up several times, and each time left a sharp pain in the man's chest; it was almost always followed by more flowers once Nick returned home. Gatsby's own carnations of course seemed to be for Daisy, but he couldn't seem to find whom his own were for. The possibility of them being for Jordan had crossed his mind before, but it didn't seem right. Thoughts of her did nothing to spark the flowers, and even seeing her alone left no mark. But for some reason it always happened around Gatsby; it was really rather strange.  
More and more space in Nick's home was taken up by the flowers, and it was at a point where he considered practicing making flower crowns with them. 

Gatsby… of course he knew exactly how things would go; he'd happen across Nick and his cousin having tea, lo and behold, a carnation out of nowhere for the lovely lady! He'd have an excuse ready by then, but for now it was a hole in his own little script. Regardless, she'd be thrilled, and somewhere in all that smooth talking, he'd confess his love, and the rest would go down like a fairytale. Nick, of course, as the host, would be witness to all of this. He thought the plan was overly complicated, but the way Jay beamed whenever he spoke about it was enough for the man to keep his mouth shut.  
And so he stood by and watched as his cousin and this man came together after five years.  
He watched, and slipped away only to cough up a bouquet's worth of violet toadflaxes. _How strange,_ Nick thought, inspecting the little flowers for blood. _Why now, of all times?_  
As he pondered the cause of the flowers, the downpour just outside his porch came to an end. With a soft sigh, he discarded the flowers before returning inside.

 

Things continued this way for the rest of that summer, Nick quietly guarding their secret as he began producing more and more of the fragrant daffodils with more and more blood on them. But as the summer drew to a close, the final outing reversed any progress that had been made with Daisy, and the carnations that had previously seemed to vanish had returned full force by the time the man caught Gatsby outside the Buchannan household. He watched grimly as Jay coughed up nearly a dozen of the carnations into his trembling hands, a sense of misery overcoming him.  
Gatsby most likely wouldn't get to cure his infection. Nick was now well aware of this, and so he agreed without any objections to spend the last few hours until dawn with him, where they started to drink. 

 

They were both drunk, Nick certainly knew that much. They were drunk, and their loud laughter could be heard throughout the mansion. It was abruptly silenced, and even then it was only by Jay pressing his lips against the other man's. It happened so quickly that even their flowers didn't have time to form. The kiss was long, and when he finally pulled away Nick was left wide eyed and flustered.  
“What, did you think I wouldn't kiss you when you looked like that?”  
“I- didn't think you'd kiss me at all.”  
There was that smile again.  
“I believe I'll be proving you wrong a lot tonight, old sport.”  
And so it began; Jay's confidence leading the way and leaving Nick fumbling along behind as their lips continued to crash together and tongues ventured and explored. Somehow they found their way onto a bed and were immediately on each other again, pulling apart only to take in short gasps of air.

“Breathtaking.”  
“Excuse me?”  
“You look absolutely breathtaking in this light.”  
Nick felt his face heat up as his eyes widened, and with that Gatsby chuckled.  
“How adorable.”  
Of course, he'd been with a man before, but they'd never made him feel like this; so why did it feel like Gatsby's words were hitting against him in so many amazing ways? Nick had never been flustered like that, not in the last 20 years; but Jay seemed to know exactly what to say to get a certain reaction from him. Without really thinking about it, the man had already started to unknot his tie.  
“Allow me old sport; you'll need to save your energy a bit.”  
“ _Pardon?_ ”  
Gatsby laughed again, and while part of him was definitely embarrassed, Nick still enjoyed the gentle attention from the other man. 

 

Nick tensed up and grimaced as the man started to push into him, grabbing at the sheets under him.  
“Are you alright, Nick? Do you want to stop?”  
“I'm fine… it just hurts a bit.”  
“I see. Just relax, old sport; it'll make things a bit easier.”  
Jay rubbed the other's back a little, almost encouragingly, and he felt his face heat up again as he did his best to relax his spring-coil tight body.  
“There you go, old sport. Just stay like that; it's perfect.”  
Another soft groan of pain escaped the man as Gatsby gently pushed in to the hilt, but it wasn't anywhere near as uncomfortable as it had been before.  
“Ah… you're tight. Are you okay? No pain?”  
The concern in Jay's voice as he began to rub Nick's back again distracted him from most of the discomfort, his body finally starting to relax.  
“I'm fine… just go ahead, Jay.”  
“Are you sure? It's okay if we stop, Nick; I understand.”  
“Jay I'm _fine_. The problem is just that you're big.”  
There was a few moments of silence before Nick heard him chuckle softly.  
“Well then I'll take that as a compliment, old sport.”  
“I didn't mean it any other way, Jay.”

With that Gatsby slowly began to move inside him, small gasps of pleasure escaping the man as he trembled.  
“Oh… so you like that, hm?” The older man softly purred, now holding onto Nick's hips as he breathed heavily.  
“Y-yes, I do…. You feel good, Jay…”  
“Really now? Well old sport, it certainly doesn't _sound_ like you enjoy it.”  
As he spoke, a mischievous chuckle came from Gatsby, and so Nick turned his head to see what he was up to, only to yelp lightly when the man pulled out of him.  
“Jay, what are you doing-?”  
“Well, I figured I'd have you ask for it if you really wanted it, old sport.”  
His face heated up immediately as he watched the man grin; a face that Nick followed with an embarrassed scowl.  
“I-I'm not going to do that, Jay!”  
“We can always stop then, Nick.”  
He huffed lightly as he considered the situation, becoming more flustered by the second. Really, the nerve of that man! Gatsby _had_ to already know that he wanted it, he had to just be teasing him. 

Taking a deep breath, Nick finally submitted.  
“Jay… please put it back in… I swear, I want you to touch me… p… please.”  
The man was silent for a few moments before he started to laugh, Nick's face heating up in embarrassment once again.  
“Nick that is without a doubt the worst attempt at begging I've ever heard!”  
“Hush up Jay, you were the one who asked me to do it after all..”  
“I know, I know; that's why it's still cute.”  
“Jay, please consider the highly likely possibility that you're a sadist.”  
The man laughed again as he took the other's hips once more.  
“I don't need to consider it old sport; I already know I am one.”  
“Honestly… it sounds like you're proud of it.”  
“I am. But since you asked so nicely, I suppose we can keep going old sport.”  
As he spoke Gatsby swiftly pushed into Nick again, chuckling at the startled moan he let out. Despite his admissions Jay was actually quite gentle in his movements, kissing at his neck and frequently making sure that he was alright. The attention and delicate care he put in flustered the man, and so he only lightly nodded whenever questioned; though that seemed to bother Gatsby, since after a few minutes of this he pulled out again.

“Jay, don't make me beg again…”  
“It's alright Nick, I'm not going to. I just want you to turn to lay on your back.”  
“What?.... Why?”  
“Because I want to see your lovely face when I make you come again and again all night...” The man whispered this in Nick's ear and he quickly blushed a dark red, immediately going tense. How could he say things like that without being embarrassed? Regardless, the man quietly shifted underneath him to lay on his back, watching as Gatsby gave him that perfect smile of his.  
“There you go old sport, look at you; you make such fantastic expressions.”  
“And you say such embarrassing things, Jay.”  
The man laughed again and re-entered Nick for what would hopefully be the last time that night, his previously gentle rhythm becoming more forceful as he groaned.  
“Do I need to slow down at all? Be more gentle? I don't want to hurt you Nick.”  
“I'm fine, Jay… please, just keep going… and don't ask me so much; it's embarrassing.”  
“Well old sport, it's my job to embarrass you now isn't it?”  
“It shouldn't be- gh!”

He assumed Gatsby thought that was the go ahead for him, since the man quickly started moving again; speeding up seemingly without any regard to Nick. Ultimately, he didn't mind _much_ , he just would've preferred a warning first, so that he could've avoid being shocked by it like he was now. Nevertheless the man rocked his hips in time with Jay's thrusts, panting heavily. He felt chills go down his spine with every thrust, and Nick was quickly left grasping at the sheets again as he moaned softly.  
“How cute… but I need you to look at me, alright old sport? I can't see all of your expressions unless you look at me.”  
Hugely embarrassed, he reluctantly turned his head to face Jay again.  
“There you go; how lovely…”

 

They continued on like that until Gatsby came inside of him with a soft grunt, Nick's whimpers of pleasure withdrawing into heavy breath. Once he pulled out, Jay smiled tiredly and started to play with the other's hair. Suddenly, all of Nick's previous embarrassment from the man's teasing and demands came rushing back in the form of humiliation as he squirmed out from underneath Gatsby and turned to lay on his side with his back to the man.  
“Did you enjoy it Nick? You don't seem too happy; I could always touch you more-”  
“Don't.”  
He felt Jay lower down next to him and Nick's face flared up again when he felt Gatsby gently wrapping his arms around he waist.  
“Well then what about this? I didn't really take you for a cuddler old sport, but-”  
“Knock it _off_ , Jay! You were mocking and making a fool of me the entire time, and then you expect to act like you'd just given me the best sex of my life? I mean, you _laughed_ at me when I came the first time for Christ's sake!”  
The man couldn't help but get overly upset about it now that they were done, wanting to turn and slap him when Gatsby just tightened his hold around him.  
“You know I only tease you because of how cute the expressions you make are, right?”  
“It doesn't matter why you did it, I want you to stop… it's humiliating being treated like that.”  
“Alright, I understand. I'm sorry I made you upset, Nick.”  
Jay started playing with Nick's hair again, and he sighed.  
He didn't remember any of the rest of that night.

 

Nick knew she wouldn't call. He knew, but Gatsby didn't seem to, no matter how much he thought it over. By the time the man had reluctantly left, even just a passing thought of Daisy left Jay buckled over, coughing and wheezing as he hacked up more and more bloody carnations.  
Nick still didn't understand who his flowers were for. They seemed to coincide with thoughts of Gatsby, but that was impossible. He didn't love that man, even if they had had sex; it was an impulse decision.  
Men couldn't love each other like that. 

Regardless, the man decided to call Gatsby on his own, feeling the familiar stabbing pains of the flower blooming inside his lungs when he heard the butler say “he'll be glad you called.”  
Nick only heard water at first before there was a loud, wet coughing on the other end; much worse than it had been that morning. It continued for almost two minutes before there was a loud splash. 

“Jay? Hello? Jay?! Jay, what happened, what's wrong… Jay!” He shouted, pleading into the phone as panic set in and his eyes welled over with frightened emotion.  
“Jay, please! Please, say someth-”  
Nick began to violently cough, jonquils and daffodils with blood stained petals spilling from his mouth without pause.  
He was suffocating; his lungs filling up with the fragrant flowers forming far too quickly for him to expel as he wheezed. The stems of the flowers continued to tear at the inside of the man's throat, and his vision began to blur and spin as it became harder and harder to breathe.

Pain. _Gatsby._ Was he okay? What had happened? He couldn't see; he couldn't hear. His throat felt like it was burning, and air just couldn't seem to find him. Was he dying? Nick was scared, terrified even; he didn't want to die. The copper scent of blood mixed with the soft spring fragrance of daffodils, and as the man felt his consciousness drift away, he thought of Gatsby, and his beautiful smile.


	2. An alternate ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A second chance.

Hugely embarrassed, he turned his head to face Jay again.  
“There you go; how lovely…”  
Gatsby briefly stroked the side of the other's face before settling on rubbing circles into his cheek with his thumb, a little suddenly resuming his forceful thrusts. The action earned a pleasurable gasp from the man, but what was more surprising was when Nick met his eyes.  
The sheer affection and care in Gatsby's gaze shook him to his core and left him reeling, reeling in denial and joy and shame and misery, all rolled into one confusing and indescribable and overwhelming emotion that, for a circumstantial lack of ability to properly formulate a sentence - at that point, Nick could hardly even formulate a full thought - could only be expressed in a few simple words. Of course, when he opened his mouth to speak, all that came out was a hoarse moan as Jay buried his face into the crook of the other's neck.  
"I love you."  
The words were slightly muffled by Nick's skin. Above all, he was confused. There was no way the man had heard him correctly, right?

"...What?"  
"I love you, Nick."  
Jay hastened his thrusts, and he couldn't think at all anymore as the man continued to speak.  
"I thought I loved Daisy, Nick. I really thought I did, but those feelings had vanished years ago; I was just chasing after a memory."  
His voice was still soft, still tender. His words were still unbelievable to the man, still just lies to justify what they were doing.  
His words continued.  
"But you, Nick, you're different. The feelings are different. It's why it took me so long to realize."  
"Jay, please-"  
He lifted his head again to meet Nick's eyes, which were welling up with emotion.  
"I love you. I love you, Nick. I love you so much that it hurts. God, why did it take me so long?"  
Harder. He had already been bordering on hurting the other, but now every sharp movement drew a choked cry of pain and pleasure from him.  
Emotion spilled over. Jay's expression was washed over with tenderness as he watched Nick underneath him.  
"You're beautiful. Nick, you're so beautiful… I love you."  
There was no tact or method to his movements anymore; Gatsby's sole intent now was to derive as much pleasure from it as he could, possibly pleasuring Nick some along the way as he desperately clung to him. It didn't take long for the man to find himself riding the waves of orgasm, tightening around Jay as his breath hitched. Gatsby followed soon after, releasing into the other with a hoarse groan. They stayed like that for a while, emotion still overwhelming Nick's senses and spilling from his eyes; his ragged breaths hitching ever so slightly as they teetered on becoming sobs. 

"Nick, you don't need to cry, please…"  
"What else am I supposed to do, Jay? How else am I supposed to react to such pretty lies?"  
Understanding seemed to dawn on him.  
"Oh, Nick… I assure you, I'm telling you nothing but the truth my dear."  
Jay continued, but he could hardly hear him. My dear. He felt the tightness in his chest brought about by the flowers lighten and lighten further with every word until it was gone.  
Those words had become relevant again.  
"I love you."  
Jay's expression seemed to shift to shock and confusion, but within moments his eyes were full of that tender care again.  
"I love you too, Nick."  
A soft chuckle was shared between them as they thought about how out of order their actions were.  
"It might be a bit late to ask, but would you be opposed to a more… _intimate_ affair?"  
"No. No, I don't think I would be."  
Gatsby smiled that gorgeous smile of his, and for once, Nick smiled right back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeeeaaaah I couldn't leave it on a sad note, so I wound up making this haha

**Author's Note:**

> I FINALLY CAME UP WITH A GOOD TITLE JESUS


End file.
